They both knew they had to flee. It was no longer possible for them to hope to contest the Eastern Unity and halt their progress. Even now it was only a matter of time before they healed their wounds and went back on the hunt once again. The Witch had an escape plan, though it required them to be able to perform a ritual which her few remaining serfs had been preparing for the past two days. And so, during the night, E'larrah and her former Mistress made their way out of Deadwind Pass toward the Blasted Lands. Their destination was within the Tainted Scar, a ritual plinth with a tall, ominous statue overlooking it.

The entire journey was a blur for E'larrah. She didn't pay attention to any of their surroundings, she barely heard or responded to most of what the Witch said. All she could think about was her apparent freedom, along with those few moments she had shared with her Mistress that had been special to her. Provided her with a kind of closeness she hadn't had for a long time, that she secretly longed for, not that anyone would ever truly know. The times they had held hands and gone on little walks with each other. The long, late nights sat talking, sharing a bottle of red wine here and there, eventually finding themselves in each others arms, or on the lap of the other.

Leave the moment alone.

She had shared intimate things with her. About her past. About who she was. Who she is. What she had and what she had lost. In some regards the pair were so alike, both being Highborne and both from the same continent. Though their paths had differed because of family, aspirations and their own faults along the way. It was strange for E'larrah, to have found someone so alike her where it mattered, yet to know she was considered evil and wanted dead by the very group lead by the Witch's daughter.

By the time they had reached the outskirts of Surwich, they shared what would be their last night together. Taking refuge under some nearby trees in the Tainted Forest, the pair of them sat in each other's arms against the tree trunk. With E'larrah being the taller of the pair, it was her duty to let the Witch rest her head upon her shoulder. This time though, E'larrah didn't lean her own head in to rest it upon her Mistress. Everything seemed so uncertain and vulnerable, so much so that even chance or luck could sway the outcome and the Highborne archer didn't know where she'd go from here.

Leave the moment alone.

The following day, it was time to make the last few preparations for the ritual. E'larrah was kept from the Witch's side while she worked at the altar, leaving E'larrah at the entrance to the Tainted Forest to patrol and spot for any uninvited guests whom the Witch was expecting. She knew if there was a fight here, it would be a desperate one. So desperate in fact, the Witch had granted E'larrah possession of a Fel-infused blade. A weapon so disgusting and so powerful, it could destroy the magical essence and souls of those who found themselves impaled upon it, piece by piece.

Naturally, just after the ritual had begun, the Eastern Unity arrived. E'larrah retreated back into the Tainted Scar, intending on making a final stand there with the Witch, with the pair of them being close enough to the altar that once the ritual was complete, they could immediately escape. As expected, the fighting was fierce. E'larrah at first was the focus of the Unity's attention, as her bow allowed her to be dangerous from almost any distance, but the closer the group got, the more they tried to end the Witch at E'larrah's side.

Leave the moment alone.

The longer she fought, the more E'larrah realised she had to be the one, to make the choice. She knew, with this weapon and all the power the Witch would soon have at her disposal, as the ritual neared completion, they could potentially annihilate all of the members of Eastern Unity present and go on with their own future. But she knew, in her heart, that future wouldn't be real. It would be a manufactured paradise, in which, in exchange for her undying service and loyalty, she would be given everything she wanted. But would it feel the same? If she earned it here, with her people, would it matter more? Was it right?

Without another thought, E'larrah leapt forwards to the Witch's defence, finally giving up on her bow and her martial fighting, she drew the Fel blade she had been given by her Mistress. She fought back a Worgen, the Pandaren she had shot with black arrows on a previous encounter and even Ellyth herself. As she gave herself for the life of the Witch, she felt the power starting to swell behind her, the ritual was complete. She knew the Unity couldn't stop them now, that the Witch would only rest when all had been purged. This was the judgement of the outcast, the persecuted, the damned.

Leave the moment

E'larrah turned to see her Mistress' face. To watch that fire within her eyes and the smile upon her lips. She had all she needed. The power to rid herself of her enemies and to escape. Not only to escape, but to escape with a companion she might yet keep for an eternity. Whom she could bind to herself forevermore. The Witch's gaze lowered to look upon E'larrah, to mouth a quick "Thank you." for which timed slowed, the words needing an eternity to leave her lips.

A painful gasp marked when the deed was done. The fire turned to shock and anguish. The smile into a pair of opened lips. The words; like a leaf on a breeze they blew away. E'larrah's eyes closed to stop herself from crying as they watered up. She staggered back in shock, releasing her grasp on the blade which was left in the chest of her former Mistress as she once again felt lost. How unfair it felt, for her to have to bring her own world to ruin for the sake of the worlds of others. She felt the flame die, smothered and starved of air, as everything fell to the dark and cold.

alone!

The rest of the events didn't register. She heard them talking about what to do with her. What was the right punishment for her to befall. She didn't take it in, she didn't care. In the end, she found herself in a cell in the Stockades. Awaiting the King's justice. Thankfully with all the time she was given in there, she found a way out. Even without the Witch being here, she knew enough to be able to get a few people with a guilty conscience to say what she wanted. Ross specifically, who had sent her on the journey which led to her capture, wanted to make sure she wasn't punished for his mistakes. And between the two of them, in spite of all the other statements given by the rest of Unity, she wasn't.

After barely a month, E'larrah found herself free to roam once again. She was accepted back into the Eastern Unity even later, despite protests here and there. That would end up being a beneficial decision for them in the end, as she would be the one to save Unity in turn. In spite of all this, she never truly forgot about the Witch, her Mistress, someone she at one point would have confessed to love.